Contrast that with the call of the Liberal Democrats in April, when they were prepared to call upon the British people to participate in a 24-hour strike. It shows how far to the right the Labour Party’s gone.
Meaning of the quote
The quote suggests that the Labour Party has moved further to the political right, while the Liberal Democrats were willing to ask British people to go on a 24-hour strike. This contrast shows how the Labour Party's views have changed over time.
About Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill was a British trade unionist who led the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from 1982 to 2002. He is best known for leading the 1984u20131985 UK miners’ strike, a major event in the history of the British labor movement. Scargill joined the NUM at the age of 19 in 1957 and became one of its leading activists by the late 1960s, playing a key role in various strikes throughout the 1970s.
More quotes from Arthur Scargill
If you’ve got an industry where you’ve got massive investment, it doesn’t matter whether you bring in alternative supplies. You still lose the money on that industry.
British trade unionist
All too often miners, and indeed other trade unionists, underestimate the economic strength they have.
British trade unionist
Yet what you need is not marches, demonstrations, rallies or wide associations, all of them are important. What you need is direct action. The sooner people understand that, the sooner we’ll begin to change things.
British trade unionist
You may see the emergence of a new political party from the body of the trade union movement which represents a very clear-cut socialist alternative policy and which gives expression to the views of the trade union movement in parliament.
British trade unionist
Contrast that with the call of the Liberal Democrats in April, when they were prepared to call upon the British people to participate in a 24-hour strike. It shows how far to the right the Labour Party’s gone.
British trade unionist
There’s a feeling that strength is determined by the size of a union. That clearly is nonsense.
British trade unionist
The trouble with the Labour Party leadership and the trade union leadership, they’re quite willing to applaud millions on the streets of the Philippines or in Eastern Europe, without understanding the need to also produce millions of people on the streets of Britain.
British trade unionist
The labour movement had the best opportunity in 50 years to transform not merely an industrial situation and win an important battle for workers in struggle, but an opportunity to change the government of the day.
British trade unionist
The trade unions and the Labour Party… failed miserably. Instead of giving concrete support, and calling upon workers to take industrial action, they did nothing.
British trade unionist